Wayne, New York

Wayne is a town located in the northeast corner of Steuben County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,165. (Note: there is also a Wayne County, New York). The Town of Wayne is northeast of Bath, New York.

History

The region was first settled around 1791 by Abraham Hendricks, and it was organized as the "Town of Frederickstown" on 18 May 1796, when the County of Steuben was formed from a part of the larger Ontario county. Early settlers include Ephriam Sanford, Anthony Swarthout, Jabez Hopkins, and Joseph Bailey.

Postcard view of the Keuka Hotel, around 1920.

The town changed its name to "Wayne" on April 6 1808 in honor of the Revolutionary War hero, General Anthony Wayne, and included what is now the smaller hamlet of Wayne, NY. Afterwards, the town was substantially reduced in size by the formation of other towns, including Reading (1806), Orange (1813) and Barrington, and Tyrone (1822). In 1854, the size of the township was again reduced by moving a parcel of land to the town of Tyrone, which included a large portion of the hamlet of Wayne. Also, a former hamlet in the township, further south, was known as "Wayne Four Corners".

Famous natives and locations in Wayne

Wayne native Jonathan Goble is said to have invented the rickshaw in 1859. He was a Baptist missionary who travelled with Commodore Matthew Perry's squadron which opened Japan to western trade, and was inspired to invent the device in order to transport his invalid wife around the streets of Tokyo.

The Hallett House (Aisle of Pines) in the late 1800s

A famous landmark in the township was the Keuka Hotel, built in 1895 on the shores of Lake Keuka. Hoagy Carmichael was the pianist and vocalist at the hotel for two seasons and local legend has it that his hit "stardust" was written while at the Keuka hotel. Francis M. McDowell, one of the seven founders of the National Grange and its treasurer for 21 years was born in Wayne, NY. In the 1860s, he returned to Wayne to grow grapes on the shores of Lake Keuka. He was also involved with his brother-in-law Samuel Hallett, in several enterprises. Samuel Hallett is known for building the largest home in Wayne, known as the "Aisle of Pines". It was a 20-column mansion, built in 1854, but it burned to the ground in 1974.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²), of which, 20.7 square miles (53.6 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it (8.33%) is water. The north town line and part of the east town line are the border of Yates County. The remainder of the east town line is the border of Schuyler County. The northern part of the town is on the southeast shore of Keuka Lake, and part of the eastern section of the town is on the west shore of Waneta Lake. New York State Route 54 runs down the east shore of Keuka Lake, and New York State Route 230 loops through the northeast part of the town.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 1,165 people, 494 households, and 363 families residing in the town. The population density is 56.3 people per square mile (21.7/km²). There are 1,242 housing units at an average density of 60.0/sq mi (23.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.03% White, 0.17% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.17% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 494 households out of which 23.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% are married couples living together, 5.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% are non-families. 22.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.75. In the town the population is spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 47 years. For every 100 females there are 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town is $38,056, and the median income for a family is $42,292. Males have a median income of $32,841 versus $23,462 for females. The per capita income for the town is $21,563. 8.1% of the population and 5.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in Wayne

• Grove Springs -- A hamlet on the shore of Keuka Lake, south of Keuka on NY-54.
• Keuka -- A hamlet on the shore of Keuka Lake at the junction of NY-54 and NY-230.
• North Urbana -- A hamlet on the west town line.
• Sylvan Beach -- A hamlet southeast of Wayne village on County Road 97, on the west side of Waneta Lake.
• Wayne -- The hamlet of Wayne is on the east town line so that it is partly in Schuyler County. NY-230 passes through the village.
• Wayne Four Corners -- A location in the south part of the town, east of North Urbana.

References

(1996) in Richard Sherer, ed.: Steuben County, The First 200 Years, A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company. 

External links

• Brief information about Wayne
• Wayne history/links

Coordinates: 42°28′15″N, 77°06′20″W

•  • e Municipalities and communities of Steuben County, New York
County seat: Bath (village)
Cities	Corning | Hornell
Towns	Addison | Avoca | Bath | Bradford | Cameron | Campbell | Canisteo | Caton | Cohocton | Corning | Erwin | Fremont | Greenwood | Hartsville | Hornby | Hornellsville | Howard | Jasper | Lindley | Prattsburgh | Pulteney | Rathbone | Thurston | Troupsburg | Urbana | Wayland | Wayne | West Union | Wheeler | Woodhull
Villages	Addison | Almond | Arkport | Avoca | Bath | Canisteo | Cohocton | Hammondsport | North Hornell | Painted Post | Riverside | Savona | South Corning | Wayland
Hamlets	Gang Mills